Monday, June 21, 2010

Sushi Fix: Sushi Tsu

When my husband and son took off for a sports tournament last weekend, I found myself calling for takeout. Knowing I should give other sushi restaurants a chance, I couldn't resist phoning Sushi Tsu in New Tampa. Like watching old episodes of "Seinfeld," you know it will always be good.

Sushi Tsu never disappoints. We have dined at the bar a couple of times and brought takeout home on several occasions, including a huge spread for a day-after-Thanksgiving extravaganza two years running. I hadn't been there in a while and was surprised to see some refreshing changes to the interior. They have painted and moved things around a bit, relocating the hostess station and making the entrance more welcoming. They also are revamping the sushi menu, and when I requested one, the hostess said it was so new that the prices weren't on it yet. She presented me with a list that includes more than a dozen new creations, including the intriguing sweet potato and banana split rolls.

I ordered the spicy, crunchy tuna roll (above, top) and the dynamite roll, both listed as house specialties. The tuna roll, consisting of spicy tuna, tempura chips and smelt roe, delivered a fresh, crunchy bite. The dynamite roll was a rich mouthful of avocado, cucumber, scallion, onion, conch and salmon baked with spicy cream sauce. Aptly named, the dynamite roll exploded with flavor. The rice in both rolls tasted exceptionally fresh and was just above room temperature, which I found lovely, but I guess many debate the correct temperature for sushi rice.

The only bad part of this meal was watching it disappear as I wolfed down every tasty morsel. While I relished each bite and pondered the exacting skill required of a sushi chef, I vowed to stop for sushi more often. Let me know your favorite Tampa sushi hangout.